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Several promising technologies are lowering the carbon footprint of air conditioning, according to this article. Fresh air heat exchangers and evaporative cooling suffice when the cooling load isn't too demanding, contends RP Siegel. And solar, combined-heat-and-power systems such as that used by IBM for cooling its chips can efficiently extract excess heat that then can be repurposed, Siegel writes.

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Seattle's Bullitt Center is the greenest building in the world -- and a recent heat wave gave operators a chance to show off exactly what their AC-free building can do. Sun-deflecting blinds, radiant cooling technology and "night flush" ventilation all helped to keep occupants cool. "The building performed great. I didn't have a single person call me and tell me they were hot," says Corey Reilly, operating engineer at the Bullitt Center.

Nearly all aspects of an HVAC system can provide clues as to how the vital heart of the system, the compressor, is working. However, the biggest red flags signaling trouble may come from abnormal refrigerant pressure readings, abnormal superheat or subcooling, a high discharge temperature and abnormal evaporator coil temperature drop, advises Cory Contreras, co-owner of Lex Air Conditioning and Heating of Texas. This article outlines maintenance steps to consider.

The capillary blood flow that warms the feet of Antarctic penguins inspired an idea for a microfluidic system for windows that can greatly reduce cooling costs or boost the power output of solar cells. The system, developed at the Wyss Institute at Harvard University, consists of tiny channels molded into thin sheets of silicone rubber stretched over a glass pane or a solar panel. Cool water pumped through the channels carries heat away.

Recycled blown-in cellulose insulation, dual-glazed low-E windows, energy heel wall construction and low-flow plumbing fixtures are among the construction features that have given Meadow Ranch homes by ActiveWest Builders an average Home Energy Rating System Index score of 46. Air-to-water heat pumps, ductless cooling and radiant heat add to the efficiency.

With heating and cooling accounting for about half the cost of running and maintaining commercial buildings, well-managed buildings of the near future will tap a number of means to trim those costs, according to Trane. Among the options are on-site energy generation using solar, wind and fuel cells that allow the sale of excess power into the grid.